In the amusement industry, many table style games are available. Most notable among these are pool or billiards, shuffleboard, air hockey, and foosball. Although these are currently in widespread use, there are features of each device which present limitations as to where they may be used, cause ongoing maintenance and expense, and potentially reduce the enjoyment of the games, particularly with novices.
The primary drawback to pool or billiard tables is the excessive amount of free space required around the table to facilitate proper play, thereby making it impractical for use in smaller establishments or private homes. Additionally, a great number of accessories are required in the form of balls, cue sticks, chalk, etc., which along with the playing surface itself eventually become worn or damaged, thus requiring expensive replacement. Bumper pool tables, being somewhat smaller, require somewhat less free space but are still subject to the same accessory, wear and maintenance issues.
Similarly, shuffleboard tables are limited in their placement options because of their extreme length. Other drawbacks include the need for frequent cleaning and rewaxing of the playing surface, which eventually wears with use, thereby requiring tedious refinishing.
Table games such as air hockey and foosball may be placed in more restricted locations; however, these devices have features which may be seen as undesirable. Air hockey, for instance, requires an electrically driven blower to pressurize the playing surface, thereby requiring a conveniently placed power source. The blower mechanism adds complexity and cost to manufacture, and is prone to failure, requiring expensive repair or replacement. Foosball games also present an increased complexity and cost in manufacture, due to the number of shafts, bushings, composite “players,” and handles, which additionally will wear or break, requiring costly replacement.
To be competitive in all of the aforementioned games, a set of skills must be developed through an investment in time and practice. This could be greatly discouraging to a novice or occasional player who would be at a great disadvantage against a more skilled opponent. Additionally, the speed of games such as air hockey and foosball can be very daunting.
Attempts are made to create new games which may overcome some of these issues. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,168,533 to Camara, D357,283 to Maxwell, 4,095,793 to Ray, and 5,988,636 to Kilmer all depict games which are more compact or portable, requiring less space and are much simpler in manufacture. However, these games are all basically cue variations or golf-based variations on other established games, having much the same objectives and many of the same issues with accessories and potential replacement. An exception would be U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,681 to Tudek et al., which shows a game with a convertible design, few accessories, and embodies different scoring objectives but is once again a golf variation and also limited in placement by its extreme length.
Given the above limitations and owing also to the fact that game enthusiasts are always seeking new and unusual challenges, a need therefore exists for a new game with a more space efficient design having a no-maintenance playing surface, a single easily replaceable ball, a unique set of scoring objectives, and no polished skills required to begin enjoying the game. It also desirable that this game would require no additional accessories, no electrical power, no mechanisms, and would need no costly maintenance, repair, or replacement.